A Spy for Christmas Read Free Page A

little resort town servicing
vacationers as they headed up to ski. “We’ll stop for a few supplies that
aren’t in the trunk or the cabin.”
    “Cabin?”
    “We have to stay somewhere secluded for a week.” He looked
over and raised an eyebrow before pulling into a small, country store on the
way out of the town. “Stay put.”
    “No, I’m coming in too!”
    He sighed and leaned his head back on the seat to look up at
the ceiling. Instead of looking annoyed, he was smiling. “We can’t turn
everything into an argument, dear. I can put on a hat and blend in. I’ve been
trained to. You, however, have beautiful red hair on top of a figure and face
no one will forget.”
    Her face was red to match her hair at that point.
    Although she waited in the SUV, she didn’t like it. But,
whether it was because of the way he took charge of the situation or her own
fear, she began to trust him on some level.
    Grayson bought fresh and canned food and an array of winter
clothing that was available in the store. Apparently, quite a few people got
this far and then realized they were going to freeze on the mountain; the store
was well stocked with food and other supplies.
    When he got back into the driver’s seat, Grayson handed her
a cup of steaming liquid. She expected coffee but the delicious smell of hot
apple cider filled the car. Taking a sip, she was even more surprised to find
it tasted home made. “Wow, this is great. Thank you.”
    He nodded but he was surveying all around the area as he
pulled out and accelerated down the road. She glanced around too, wondering if
she would even have a clue about what would look dangerous. Had those men at the
airport followed her for very long? Maybe she should be more in tune to her
surroundings after this. After this . That felt like a touchy subject at
the moment.
    He drove and they sipped their cider in silence. The
daylight faded outside and a few snowflakes fluttered over the windshield here
and there. Robin started to think they were headed straight up the mountain
when he turned off. It looked like he wasn’t taking her up toward the ski
resort, but they were still headed up and into the Mt. Hood National Forest.
    “This is really out of the way…” She looked at him and hoped
she wasn’t completely wrong about him.
    “It’s safer that way.” He said on a sigh, which sounded
almost nervous to her. Fifteen minutes later, Grayson announced, “It’s right up
here.”
     Ahead, the dirt road took a sharp turn around the ancient,
skyscraper evergreens, blocking any view of their destination. Then they
arrived at what, for the time being, was their home away from home. The small
cabin sat nestled among the trees, barely visible from the road.
    “Stay put for just a minute,” he said, again visually
checking every nook and cranny of the tree line. “I’ll check things out and
then we’ll go in.”  He opened his door and hesitated for a second, looking at
her.
    She wasn’t sure what that look meant, except that it’d been
a searching, searing look. He proceeded to check around the clearing…for
footprints?
    Robin’s weary eyes took in the outside of the cabin. It had
a tiny porch decorated with only a battered old wicker rocking chair. The cabin
was rustic but seemed to be very sturdy; a seemingly familiar cabin chimney
jutted from its roof. After he walked around the back, he returned to the SUV
and opened the back. “All clear. I’ll bring our supplies in.”
    Despite what he said, she grabbed a bag from the back. He
motioned for her to step up onto the porch first, but there he stopped her.
“I’ll check out the inside. Stay right by the door so I can hear you.”
    She shivered in the cold and his melodramatic act. But, then
again, if someone suddenly shot at them or attacked her again, it wouldn’t be
so over-the-top.
    “All clear,” he said, motioning her inside as he went back
for the rest of the bags. Her eyes needed to adjust to the dark cabin, so